The War on Reproductive Health Care in the United States
Authors: Carol J. Hogue
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

EditorialsFebruary 2023The War on Reproductive Health Care in the United StatesCarol J. Hogue, PhD, MPHCarol J. Hogue, PhD, MPHDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GeorgiaAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M22-3634 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Within the United States, a raging war on reproductive health care is not healthy for women or their children. Its long history dates back to the late 19th century, when Anthony Comstock effectively advocated for federal laws outlawing sale, distribution, and even information about contraceptives (1). This year, the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization opened a new front, not only denying that abortion is a fundamental right previously established in 1973 by the decision in Roe v. Wade but also inviting state regulation of reproductive health care and hinting that previous Supreme Court decisions overruling ...References1. Hogue L, Hogue C. Anthony Comstock: a religious fundamentalist's negative impact on reproductive health. In: Idler EL, ed. Religion as a Social Determinant of Public Health. Oxford Academic; 2014:154-74. Google Scholar2. Aiken ARA, Starling JE, Scott JG, et al. Requests for self-managed medication abortion provided using online telemedicine in 30 US states before and after the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision. JAMA. 2022;328:1768-70. [PMID: 36318139] doi:10.1001/jama.2022.18865 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Endler M, Lavelanet A, Cleeve A, et al. Telemedicine for medical abortion: a systematic review. BJOG. 2019;126:1094-102. [PMID: 30869829] doi:10.1111/1471-0528.15684 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Moseson H, Herold S, Filippa S, et al. Self-managed abortion: a systematic scoping review. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2020;63:87-110. [PMID: 31859163] doi:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2019.08.002 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Liu N, Ray JG. Short-term adverse outcomes after mifepristone–misoprostol versus procedural induced abortion. A population-based propensity-weighted study. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:145-153. doi:10.7326/M22-2568 LinkGoogle Scholar6. Harris LH, Grossman D. Complications of unsafe and self-managed abortion. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1029-40. [PMID: 32160664] doi:10.1056/NEJMra1908412 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Heron M. Deaths: leading causes for 2019. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2021;70:1-114. [PMID: 34520342] MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Stevenson AJ, Root L, Menken J. The maternal mortality consequences of losing abortion access. SocArXiv. Preprint posted online 29 June 2022. doi:10.31235/osf.io/7g29k CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. Addante AN, Eisenberg DL, Valentine MC, et al. The association between state-level abortion restrictions and maternal mortality in the United States, 1995-2017. Contraception. 2021;104:496-501. [PMID: 33781761] doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2021.03.018 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severe maternal morbidity in the United States. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/severematernalmorbidity.html on 17 October 2022. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GeorgiaDisclosures: The author has reported no disclosures of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M22-3634.Corresponding Author: Carol J. Hogue, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, CNR 3005, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322; e-mail, [email protected]edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 3 January 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoShort-Term Adverse Outcomes After Mifepristone–Misoprostol Versus Procedural Induced Abortion Ning Liu and Joel G. Ray Metrics February 2023Volume 176, Issue 2Page: 276-277KeywordsContraceptivesMaternal mortalityPregnancyTermination of pregnancy ePublished: 3 January 2023 Issue Published: February 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...